Usually represented as a character or object, a symbol signifies an abstract meaning (Dr. Louis). Certainly authors could describe abstract meanings without the use of symbols, yet it may not be as effective. Symbols not only augment the creativity of a story, but also invoke the thoughts and emotions of readers. However, some readers have a difficult time identifying symbols, since simple objects such as coins or tape records may have abstruse meanings. Conversely, some readers “see symbolism where none exists,” and mistakenly associate objects or characters with philosophical meanings (Tierney). In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” and Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” symbolism plays a significant role. In “Cathedral,” symbols such as: tape recordings, a peso coin, and a Cathedral portray the story’s meaning that sometimes the sighted may be blinded. “Everything That Rises Must Converge” includes symbols such as a hat, bus, and penny to reveal O’Connor’s message—the need for social progress. Although both stories include distinct symbols, their role is comparable as they aid readers in understanding the authors’ meaning.
Raymond Carver’s, “Cathedral,” opens with an unnamed narrator stating that his wife’s blind friend, Robert, will be visiting their house. Having never been around a sightless man before, the narrator is discontented about Robert’s visit, for he is unsure how to entertain him. He confesses that his knowledge about blindness comes only from watching movies and in those “the blind move slowly and never laugh” (Carver, 123). The narrator explains that his wife worked for Robert ten years earlier and has not seen him since. During those ten years, however, they have been in contact via exchang...
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...s not included in these stories, the message may be still understood, but it certainly would not be as effective.
Works Cited
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Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Story and Its Writer: an Introduction to Short Fiction. By Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 123-33. Print.
Dr. Louis. "Symbolism in Literature." Scribd. Scribd Inc., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.
Joanna. "Why Do Authors Use Symbolism?" KnowsWhy.com. Why &, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2011.
O’Connor, Flannery. "Everything That Rises Must Converge." The Story and Its Writer: an Introduction to Short Fiction. By Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 651-62. Print.
Tierney, Gene. "Symbolism Quotes." BrainyQuote. BookRags Media Network, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.
In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator, Bub, is as metaphorically blind as his guest, Robert, is literally blind. Bub has many unwarranted misconceptions about life, blind people in particular. He also has many insecurities that prevent him from getting too close to people. Through his interaction with Robert, Bub is able to open his mind and let go of his self-doubt for a moment and see the world in a different light.
Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral.” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Ed. Missy James and Alan Merickel. Fourth ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. 513-23. Print.
William Shenstone states, “Jealousy is the fear of apprehension of superiority: envy our easiness under it.” The main character in the short story “Cathedral,” written by a well written American short story Author, Raymond Carver, is a married man with doubts of another man from his wife’s past, making him jealous. Carver uses the husband to narrate the short story. The setting takes place in the house of the husband. The story tells about Robert, the antagonist who lost his wife and visits his old friend. The envious character causes conflict with himself about the relationship of the wife and friend. The protagonist’s uneasiness of meeting the old friend starts from the beginning before his arrival. Robert, the blind
Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1052-1062.
Upon reading Raymond Carver's short story of the Cathedral one will notice the literary devices used in the short story. When analyzing the story completely, one then understands the themes, motifs, metaphors, and the overall point of the piece. This leaves the reader with an appreciation of the story and a feeling of complete satisfaction.
Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1052-1062.
Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1052-1062.
Blindness in Raymond Carver's Cathedral Blindness creates a world of obscurity only to be overcome with guidance from someone willing to become intimate with the blind. Equally true, the perceptions of blindness can only be overcome when the blind allow intimacy with the sighted. Raymond Carver, with his short story Cathedral, illustrates this point through the eyes of a man who will be spending an evening with a blind man, Robert, for the first time. Not only does this man not know Robert, but his being blind, "bothered" (Carver 98) him.
The short story of the “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver shows the narrator as the main character of the story whose name is never mentioned. The narrator’s wife’s name is never mentioned as well, and her friend who is a blind man is coming to visit after losing his wife whose name is Robert. In the beginning of the story, the narrator shows that he is an excessive drinker and feels emotionally disconnected from his wife and his wife is excited about her friends visit, Robert. This kind of emotion makes him uneasy but doesn’t know why and because he knows that Robert is blind, he feels like he is better than him. Imagine having to meet a long time old friend of your spouse of the opposite sex who they a special friendship with and whom you haven’t
Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer – An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print.
The husband in Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to. (Carver 137)” The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually know him. It seems he has judged too soon as his ideas of the blind man change and he gets a better understanding of not only the blind man, but his self as well.
Caldwell, Tracey. "Raymond Carver's 'Cathedral'." Literary Contents in Short Stories (2006): 1-8. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Nov. 2010
The unnamed narrator of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” poses as an unreliable narrator for his unaccepting nature towards blind people along with his ignorant perception of many realities in his life that Carver presents for the reader to take into question. The narrator holds prejudice against Robert, a blind man whom the narrator’s wife worked with ten years earlier and eventually befriends. Unperceptive to many of the actualities in his own life, the narrator paints an inaccurate picture of Robert that he will soon find to be far from the truth.
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," the husband's view of blind men is changed when he encounters his wife's long time friend, Robert. His narrow minded views and prejudice thoughts of one stereotype are altered by a single experience he has with Robert. The husband is changed when he thinks he personally sees the blind man's world. Somehow, the blind man breaks through all of the husband's jealousy, incompetence for discernment, and prejudgments in a single moment of understanding.
Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" depicted the interaction between a narrow minded husband, with a limited understanding of the world around him, and a blind visitor, named Robert, that proved to be the catalyst that dramatically changed the husband's view on the world, while they went from being strangers to becoming friends. In the beginning of the story, the husband disliked the concept of his wife bringing her blind friend over to stay since he never had met a blind person before and did not understand it. However, as the story progresses, the husband, through interaction and observation, begins to dispel his fears and misconceptions of Robert and his blindness. With the help of Robert, the husband gains a revelation that changed his view and opened his eyes to the world.